Here We Go, Now
by DamselOnDrums
Summary: For Blake Vreedman, Marani Byron, Elizandra Valmor, and Hayley McCurr, life has been simple and uncomplicated up until now. Now, it is the first summer they have spent apart since they were ten. Based on the idea of the Sisterhood. Cameos in the future.
1. Prologue

_First Sisterhood story. **I own only the storyline and the new sisterhood**. Yes, Blake is based off of Bridget. Cameos are due in the future. Please enjoy. :)_

* * *

We didn't start out as friends. Well, I guess you could say we did when our moms were still pregnant with us, but once the last one was out, we wanted close to nothing to do with each other. We were polar opposites; there's Blake, the daring, unstoppable, blonde; there's Elizandra, the Amazon goddess who excelled at both school and acting; there's Hayley, the firey musician with an amazing voice; and there's me, Marani, the writer. At opposite ends of the spectrum, it was no wonder we weren't friends.

It's not like we hated each other (we would wave to each other occasionally in the hallways at school), but we weren't "best friends". Blake was well liked by just about everyone, Elizandra was both feared and paraded by boys, Hayley was the kid teachers loved to hate (well, except for the music teachers), and I was a "wall flower". Our mothers seemed to drift apart during those years, but we never stirred from our opinions of one another.

During the summer between elementary school and middle school (fourth grade and fifth grade), we all wound up going to the same summer camp, and all stayed in the same cabin, if you can believe it. It was there that we formed an unbreakable sisterly bond. We wouldn't stray far from each other for too long the entire summer.

We were ten then, and now, almost seven years later, we've been sisters through thick and thin. Blake's mother Celine died when we were twelve. We refused to let her be alone for more than ten minutes for the better part of six months, for fear of her self-destructing. Although she never said it out loud, we knew she needed it. Hayley took it upon herself to go running along side her everyday for miles on end. Eli would listen to her, and try to make her laugh as best she could. I even learned to play a decent game of soccer that year (even if I was only a good goalie). It was strange to see such a lively, happy Blake be so vulnerable, but over time, she became herself again, crying less and laughing more.

When we were fourteen, Hayley's dad took off one night, and we haven't seen him since. Hayls somehow managed to channel all of her rage and frustration into incredible songs (and I'm not just saying that because I'm her friend. They really are amazing). Personally, I was glad to see him go – he was never around, and when he was, he wasn't a real father to her. Besides, both she and her mother Beth deserve better. Hayley knows this. However, there is no denying the fact that she has become more mouthy, wild, and impulsive since then. It's no surprise that she and Blake still go running together, and that they're always the first two to dive into something impulsively.

Elizandra is, and will always be, our Amazon goddess (her parents are both Brazilian natively), boys either throwing themselves at her or to afraid to even be in her presence. What I love about her, though, is that she doesn't seem to notice, nor care. She would rather be studying for school or memorizing lines than dating some random loser. What most people don't realize about her, either, is that she is funny. Hysterical, even. How no one except us notices this just blows my mind. You can always count on her if you want your sides to hurt from laughing.

There's nothing really to say about me. My parents are Australian, so I get tan (yay). Nothing ever really happens to me, but I'm not sure whether that's good or bad. I'm a writer. I write about amazing things instead of living them like Blake, or Hayley, or even Elizandra. Maybe that's my problem. Maybe I should take my nose out of my notebook and try to make something exciting happen. Well, maybe not, because the last time I took my nose out, I got into trouble for "mouthing off too much". Clearly, I cannot win. That's why I look to my three best friends for excitement. After all, they are where some of my inspiration comes from.

Anyways, this summer marks the first time we have spent apart for an entire summer since that fateful camp six years ago. Hayley is off to some music camp in Austin, Texas, Eli is jetting off to Brazil with her two sisters to visit her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, Blake is going to a random soccer camp in Pennsylvania, and I am most likely going to stay here and drown in my sea of loneliness. It's like I said, nothing exciting ever happens to me.

All I can do is hope for the best, and pray they won't forget me by the end of the summer. Who knows, maybe I'll get a job at Wal-Mart just to get my mind off being alone. Perhaps things won't go 'according to plan' (Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more?).


	2. Chapter 1

_This is where the 'magic' starts, lol. It's shorter than the other chapters (hopefully), but longer than the prologue. **I don't own the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in anyway. Please, don't sue.** Let me know what you like, and what you don't - I'll try and fix them. I'm not favoring any character, but I have Hayley's summer pretty much planned out all ready. Blake's is a little foggy. Marani's is coming out of left-field. Elizandra's is somewhat a complete thought. OH! And, in this story, you pronounce "Eli" as 'Ellie', okay? Thanks. -Taylor_

* * *

Not surprisingly, it was Blake who arrived first at the beach. She had gone to the Mini Mart four blocks away from her house to get Gummi Worms, Sour Patch, cookie dough, and other random junk foods, then ran the entire two miles to the private beach all tucked away by trees. She wasn't doing anything illegal, she knew, because Elizandra lived down the street that owned the beach.

Blake was well aware of how incredibly sketchy she must have looked to the neighbors; a teenager running down a road she did not live on with two plastic bags in hand at midnight on a Thursday morning. Somehow, that didn't bother her much. Even if it wasn't legal for her to do so, she probably would have done it anyway. "Single-minded to the point of recklessness" was what one shrink had described her not too long after her mother's death. When she had left that day, she had laughed. Not because she didn't believe it, but because it fit her perfectly.

Soft whispering voices caught her attention back to the present and away from the crashing of the waves. She turned, and smiled at the site of the remaining three friends. There was no mistaking Hayley's flaming-orange hair, just as there was no mistaking Blake's own golden, too-blonde-to-be-natural hair. Plus it helped that Elizandra was speaking some of the limited Portuguese she knew.

Quietly, the blonde headed over to the lone picnic table towards where the others were coming from. She laid out the snacks in a messy assortment, then sat. Marani took the seat beside her, leaving Hayley and Eli on the other side. They all dove for the food at once. They didn't bother to be quiet, for they knew that their voices wouldn't carry to any of the houses nearby over the waves.

As per usual, Elizandra proceeded to make her friends laugh, Hayley said some smartass comments at the expense of an over-weight teacher they all had had in grade seven, Blake chimed in as much as possible, and Marani jumped into the conversation without hesitation. Around anyone else, she would have stayed near silent unless asked a question. She had a feeling that that was what it was going to be like for the rest of the summer all most.

Once most of the food was gone, they got down to business. Zandra's flight was at eight the next morning, Hayley's left that afternoon, and Blake left on Friday. None were really worried, just sad to leave poor Marani on her own, and to leave each other for an entire summer. For a minute, no one would look another straight in the eyes. There was an awkward pause before someone grew enough of a back bone to speak first. Amazingly, it wasn't Blake like it usually was.

"What are we gonna do? I mean, we can't just rely on email and phone calls to document this summer, nor really talk to each other enough," Marani stated, rather formally.

"Maybe we can find a pair of pants that mysteriously fit us all perfectly," Eli joked, as a reference to a story they all had read at one point or another, _The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants_. Her friends laughed, understanding what she was taking about completely.

"In eight hours?" Hayley laughed. "Most don't even open until at least nine."

"You're right. What about a sweatshirt? I mean, my England one still fits us all, right? I've only had it for, like, three months," Blake threw in.

"Yes! That's perfect."

"And we could throw in a journal with it, to write down stuff we did, you know?"

"Marani, you're a genius!"

"I try."

"We need some rules first. Just like the Sisterhood did."

"First one: each sister must wash the sweatshirt before passing it on," Eli said in a serious tone.

The girls giggled, even though it was not meant to be funny. The rest of the rules flowed out easily, more or less, for about an hour. Lucky for them, being such the avid writer she was, Marani had brought both a notebook and an pen, and wrote down all ten rules on a blank sheet she ripped out. Normally, this would have brought loving teases upon her, but in the given circumstances, it brought praise, instead.

'_Rules for the Traveling Junk_' she had written as a joke.

_1. Each sister must wash the sweatshirt before passing it on. (Unless you do not have access to a washing machine, in which case, just put in the note that you didn't.)_

_2. You must write at least one letter to each friend every week. Failure to do so shall result in an immediate punishment upon our return._

_3. You must document the most important things (and feelings) that happened to you in the notebook as it bounces it's way around the Sisterhood. (We will document on the sweatshirt at the end of the summer)_

_4. No using the sweatshirt to hide yourself. (e.g. Your self-esteem isn't doing so hot)_

_5. The sweatshirt is to be taken off by the wearer only. Meaning no boys can take it off._

_6. Don't pick your nose while wearing the sweatshirt, although you may casually scratch at it._

_7. You may not get a piercing while wearing the sweatshirt without consulting your sisters first. (This also applies when you are not wearing it, Hayley.)_

_8. If there is a boy, you must spill your guts about him upon our reunion at the fin of the summer._

_9. Both notebook and sweatshirt should be passed according to the proper rotation. (Unless it is an emergency situation) Failure to do so without a good reason will result in a pimp-slap to the shoulder, also upon our reunion._

_10. Love yourself and love your sisters no matter what._

"I guess that's it then. Should we head back to my place?" Elizandra asked.

"Wa-wa-wa-wait," Hayley said quickly. "We need to end this night right. Marani?"

She smiled and shrugged. "Um... And so begins our separate journeys through the endless days of summer. Let us all remember the Sisterhood of the Traveling Junk."

"To the Sisterhood," said Blake.

"And this summer." Hayley caught on first.

"And this moment."

"And the rest of our lives."

"Together and apart."


	3. Chapter 2

_Hey everyone! Here's my first, kind of long, chapter of many more long ones to come. I really hope you like it. Let me know. Send a message, review, just read, whatever. **I don't own Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in anyway. Please don't sue me. I have, like, nothing.** _

_Next chapter you'll get to see more of Marani's summer, Blake's camp, the Achuchi saga, and Hayley's music. I'll post it as soon as I finish. Love. xx -Taylor_

* * *

Four sets of teary eyes glanced at each other, none willing to be the first to say it. After a minute, however, Blake boldly jumped in. "Elizandra Monize Valmor, don't you forget we little people back home, got it?"

She just nodded, smiling widely.

"We brought you something for you," Hayley told her, revealing the grey England hoodie and the notebook with their names scribbled on the cover from behind her back. "It goes you, me, Blake, Marani. Don't forget."

"I won't," she breathed, taking both items from her. Just then, both of her younger siblings Valencia and Nevada appeared behind her.

"We've gotta go, E," Valencia said in a soft tone.

Her three friends nearly suffocated her in a group hug. When it parted, Blake hugged both younger girls as well, as they spent so much time at their house, it was only natural to do so.

"We love you, Eli!" Marani called out to her as she began to walk through the crowd to security.

"Love you, too!"

* * *

Blake and Marani decided to go get some Haagen-Dazs ice cream once they saw Hayley off at the airport. It wasn't quite as tear-jerking because a) she was still in the same country, b) Hayley didn't look like she was going to cry, really, and c) they had all ready done it once that day. All three had hugged in a goodbye, and she left. But, that was Hayley for you, simple and right to the point. Marani had almost lost it when she disappeared, but it was brief and tear-free.

Haagen-Dazs wasn't nearly as packed as it usually was in the summertime, being inside a packed mall and all. There were only a handful of people in the shop, including Blake and her friend, so naturally, they were served quickly and sat at the back of the shop. Blake with her simple chocolate waffle cone, and Marani with her cake batter ice cream in a chocolate dipped waffle cone. Ironically, it was usually the other way around.

"So, Mara, any hidden plans for the summer?" she asked, then took a lick of her creamy treat.

Her friend snorted a little. "Oh, definitely." Sarcasm was practically dripping from her words. "Nothing too excessive – you know, cliff jumping, sky diving, nothing special."

Blake chuckled. "Why don't you get a job or something? Wal-Mart's hiring, I hear."

"Me? A job with _people_?"

"...Yeah, you're probably right. Well, don't worry about it too much, Mare Bear. You'll figure something out. Just promise me you won't just stay home and write about your 'awful' life, 'kay? I'm only, like, three hours away if you need me."

She gave a weak laugh. "Okay. And, I probably won't. I'll probably need to get off my ass within a day just because I'm ADHD like that anyway."

"Great. Glad to see that our Mare Bear is going to be okay without us."

Marani buried her face in her free hand at the mention of her strange nickname. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Never." Blake grinned and took another mouthful of ice cream.

* * *

The flight from Maryland to Texas was slightly shorter than what Hayley had expected. It was only around five hours, she had been thinking more like six or seven. That worked to her advantage, however. It meant she could get through baggage and security that much sooner, meaning she could board the van to Serendipity 'Summer Music Program', and get there sooner.

As she spotted the bright red van with the Serendipity symbol in black on the side, she quickened her pace. A man in black slacks and a red, can you guess, Serendipity shirt, stood at the side. He raised his eyebrows at the sight of Hayley. It wasn't unusual to get looks like that from people, what with her orange hair, black, baggy cargo pants, and piercings a plenty (well, thirteen were on her head alone, and one wasn't visible, as it was on her belly button.) However, she hardly noticed this and just stopped in front of him. "Hayley McCurr."

"Hayley McCurr..." he muttered, scanning the list. "Ah, yes. Here you are. Okay, go ahead and throw your bags in the back. You're the last one on this run, it seems."

She just nodded and did as she was told. Once her two black duffels were shoved into the all-ready-packed trunk, the side door opened to reveal three others. She clambered into the back seat next to a girl with jet black hair. The other two sat in the middle seats. One was a dirty blonde girl, the other was a boy with a short-cut, blue, green, and black mowhawk. _Pretty strange couple we'd make_, she mused, silently.

"I'm James," the boy spoke, twisting around slightly.

"Jaden," the one with black hair said, softly.

"Ceala," the blonde introduced.

"Hayley."

"Nice to meet you, Hayley."

"Same."

The rest of the forty-five minute drive was relatively quiet. Just, not in Hayley's mind. It didn't make sense to her why they said it was in Austin, when it was really in a small town almost an hour away. Not that it bothered her too much, it just didn't make any sense. Also, she didn't understand why she was the only one listening to music at a reasonable level. James had his ear buds cranked so loud that she could hear his music with her own in. Jaden's was only slightly better, but hshe was drumming along. Ceala didn't even have headphones, so her iTouch was blasting her music through its speakers.

Words could not express how happy she was to finally arrive at Serendipity. She would have been first out of the van, had she not been seated behind other people. Nevertheless, she hurried to get her bags and was quickly sent to Cabin 4e. They weren't huge cabins, but only fit about four others at maximum with two bunk beds on either side. The only bed open for her was on the bottom, of which half of the wall was a large window. _Note to self: close window at night._

When she was just about to leave, her three apparent cabin mates walked in. Two were identical twins, the other, was not. Hayley offered a weak smile. "Hi. I'm Hayley."

"I'm Jenna," the non-twin, dusty-brown haired girl said, crawling into the lower bunk, opposite Hayley's.

"I'm Raven."

"Kayden." The twins both had black hair, but Raven's had purple streaks running down its length, and was also longer.

"Coolio. Hey, um, do know were the bathrooms are?"

"There's a huge-" Raven started.

"-It's not _that_ big-" Kayden interrupted.  
"Building outside with a green roof. Those are the bathrooms and showers."

"Thank you." With that, Hayley left the cabin, not paying much attention to what was in front of her, which was only proven when she walked right into James and crumpled to the ground, unable to catch herself in time. She began to laugh, laying on a little patch of yellowed grass.

"I'm sorry," she managed to choke out.

"Are you okay?" he asked, reaching out a hand.

"Yeah. I was just testing gravity. I think it still works." She took his hand and rose to her feet.

"He chuckled. "I see. Hey, listen. There's a whole 'welcome to camp' thing tonight right after dinner. Do you wanna sit with me?"

Hayley's jaw nearly detached from her skull. She gaped at him for a minute before finally being able to stammer, "Me?"

His response was a nod of the head.

"Uh, sure."

"Great! I'll see you after dinner, then?" When she nodded, he jogged away, leaving her standing there with an amazed look on her face.

* * *

Elizandra had a whole welcoming committee for her and her sisters waiting for them at the tiny airport in Brazil. Their grandparents Josefina and Pepillo had brought along three of their cousins, an aunt, and uncle, and... someone Zandra knew was not related. Josefina threw her arms around her granddaughters immediately. Pepillo stayed back until they were released before hugging them each individually.

"Elizandra! Elizandra!" Josefina exclaimed in her native accent, while Eli was being hugged by her cousins. "Des' are your cousins, Belinda, Xevera, and Nelia. Dis' is your Aunt Claura, dis' is your Uncle Victor. And dis' is Achuchi. He's a 'niez' boy." She couldn't help but smile at her grandma's broken English.

"Hello," he said, extending a hand. She noted that he had very good English so far. "Achuchi Jayme. Josefina and Pepillo speak very highly of you."

She shook his outstretched hand. "Hi. Elizandra Valmor. Your English is pretty good. Where'd you learn it?"

"I lived in England with my father for two years. My Portuguese is much better than this."

"She can't speak it," Nevada piped up. "Mami tried to teach us, but we're not very good. Not as good as you, or anyone else in the family." _Clearly, Nevvy has a crush on him all ready_, she thought.

"We'll have to fix that, then, won't we?"

Pepillo ushered them to their Jeeps. Achuchi and the cousins took one, their aunt and uncle took another, and Josefina, Pepillo, and the girls took the last one. Eli sat between her sisters, her bags under her feet and in her lap. Valencia and Nevada were both silent, for once.

"You can have him," Zandra told Nevvy.

"Who?"

"Achuchi. You can have him."

She snorted. "He doesn't want me. Plus, I'm only 13. He's, like, 18. It wouldn't work out."

Valencia nodded in agreement. "He wasn't even looking at us. He was looking at you. _Everyone_ loos at you." Her voice wasn't angry or bitter, just matter-of-fact.

Eli almost laughed. "I don't want him. I don't even want a _boyfriend_. He can look all he wants, but he's not getting' any."

Both younger girls smiled. "Atta' girl," the older of the two praised.

_Dear Marani,_

_It's only been about two days since I saw you last, but, all ready, I miss you terribly. My grandma is trying to set me up with this guy named Achuchi (as if!). I'm choosing to stay away – the last thing I need this summer is guy issues._

_So, I hope all is well with you. Don't wallow, it doesn't suit you. Go out and do something. I mean it._

_Loads of love,_

_Elizandra._


	4. Chapter 3

_Okay, so I repeatedly appologize for such a long update to this thing. I lost my mojo, and I've been really busy, and I'm sorry. This is kinda long, so hoefully that makes up for some of it. This develops it a little. Warning: cameo. O.o _

_**I don't own the Sisterhood. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this on FanFiction.**_

* * *

Marani was silent as she walked aimlessly through the streets of Londontowne. She was letting her legs take her where they pleased, too lazy to do much else. As she walked, her flip-flops dragged at the heel, making her feet in particular anything but silent.

Boredom had set in about an hour before. Her body itched to move, so she'd obliged. She had been walking for about ten minutes, but it didn't seem so bad. It only seemed bad when she found herself outside a barn the color of eggshells. The paint was peeling, it smelled like horse, and people seemed to be a rare occurrence.

Defeated, Marani looked down at her feet and swore at them. She didn't even like horses. They were big, and loud, and scary without meaning to be. And they smelled.

Out of seemingly nowhere, a young girl appeared in front of her. Her hair was blonde on the outer layers, but underneath was a layer of jet black. She had a little stud in her nose, and her eyes were green. "Wha' can I do fo' ya?" she asked in a thick Manhattan accent.

"Um, I guess nothing. I was just... Looking around."

She raised an eyebrow, not buying it in the slightest. "Why don' I give ya a tour?"

Marani wanted to say "no" so badly, but there was something about her that rendered her helpless. "Sure." Her voice betrayed her. There was no turning back, as the girl turned and walked into the barn.

"I'm Ryder, by the way," she chirped over her shoulder.

"Marani."

Ryder was quiet for a minute, before saying, "That's pretty."

It was a rare response for her. Usually it was "that's... different" or "weird". She smiled and replied, "Thanks. Yours, too."

"Thanks." She stopped walking at the first stall.

It was the first time Marani had the chance to get a full view of the interior. It was in the shape of an oval, with a row of horse stalls in the middle. There were probably more on the opposite side as well, but she could only see one side. On the walls hung ribbons and trophies on shelves, and two doors were open. The floor was dirt, but surprisingly soft. Heads of horses popped out of a few stalls, causing her to jump a little.

"It's okay," Ryder told her, barely glancing over at her. "The couldn't hurt a fly."

"Oh, okay."

Out of one of the open rooms came a large Great Dane. It was all black except for it's front left paw. It walked right over to Ryder and sat on her feet. Yes, not _at_, _on._ The girl smiled and shook it off. "This's Mammoth. He's friendly, but likes to sit on ya feet."

"Is he yours?"

"No. Clary's mine. You'll meet her later."

Ryder and Mammoth strode over to the first stall in the line with Marani tentatively trailing behind them. The horse inside was white with reddish-brown spots all over, which she later learned was called Appaloosa. "This is Savannah."

Savannah was the first of about 39 others, all standing in stalls with an opening over the door to peek out of. After Marco Polo, a small black pony, she felt herself begin to get used to horses. And by the time they reached the last horse, a chestnut mare named Mayana, she had summoned up the courage to pet her on the nose.

As promised, Marani did meet Clary. After meeting Ryder's horse, Shadowhunter, it was easy to tell that she was a fan of Cassandra Clare's _Mortal Instruments_ series. They were good, she couldn't deny that. Clary was a mutt, at best, but a cute one. When asked, Ryder told her that she was a Put bull-Boxer-Shepherd-Husky-Retriever mix. She was the color of baguette bread with the exception of a black and pink nose, and a white splotch on her wrinkled forehead.

When she had seen practically all there was to see, she turned to her. She was at least five inches shorter that Marani, but she didn't really need to look up. "Did this change your mind about horses?" she asked, seriously.

"Yeah. You know, I think it did."

"Good. Can you come back tomorrow?"

Before her brain could make her say "no", her mouth beat her to the punch. "Yes," she replied with a nod. "It was nice to meet you. Thanks."

_Dear Blake,_

_You'll never believe what I did today. You'll be oh-so proud! I spent about three hours with a thirteen-year-old, and, you'll never believe this, HORSES! Yes! Me! This girl Ryder showed me around a barn and it was incredible. I even pet one named Mayana. AND I'm going back tomorrow! I'm so excited!_

_Anyway, how's soccer? Coaches all right? Hot guys? Come on, you can tell me!_

_Love you!_

_-Marani x_

* * *

Nothing had caught her eyes so far about Prynne Valley. It was your run of the mill, co-ed soccer camp. The guys were, for the most part, far from being hot, in Blake-standards, and the girls were chatty and girly. Not that she wasn't sometimes the same, but this was _way_ beyond her.

It was her second day (first full day) at camp and she had yet to have a team. At seven in the morning, Blake had risen from her bed and gone for a three mile run. It wasn't quite up to her's and Hayley's usual seven miles, but three was about all you could get at Prynne without getting into trouble. She had devoured her breakfast of eggs and toast in mere seconds, and the girls sitting around her looked at her like she was some monkey in a zoo. So, after a few minutes, Blake stood from her seat, grabbed her tray, and walked over to a table of boys.

She sat down in the only empty chair, and said, "Hi. I'm Blake."

They starred at her for a minute, dumbfounded. Then, one with dark brown, shaved hair smiled. "Hey. I'm Teddy. That's Austin, Jasper, Justin, and Mack."

"Hey."

The rest of the group nodded. The boy with short black hair, Jasper, eyed her casually, but she still noticed. "What position do you play?" he asked.

"Forward. How about you guys?"

"We," the redheaded Mack started, gesturing to himself and Austin, "play middies."

"I'm a goalie," Jasper replied with a mouthful of food.

"I'm defense." This one was Teddy.

"Forward," Justin answered, lastly.

"Where are you from?" Again it was Jasper who asked.

"Maryland, why?"

"I swear I know you from somewhere, but I don't know where."

Blake made a 'hmm' sound as she took a sip of her orange juice. "If you say so."

After breakfast, the entire camp assembled on the regulation sized field at the heart of Prynne Valley. The director stood in the middle with a bullhorn. Six sets of coaches and assistant coaches stood on the other end, all wearing different colored jerseys. The man at the center explained how things were going to work; he would call your name and a color, and that was your team.

The choosing began with "Aimes, Jared" who was on the red team. It went down the list from there. Red, blue, green, purple, orange, and black teams were chosen. When Coach finally reach "Vreedman, Blake", she was to be on the green team. The people all ready on the team cheered as she sprinted across the field.

Both Mack and Austin greeted her enthusiastically, with very dramatic high-fives each. Blake laughed, but continued to slap hands with the rest. When the list ended with "Zymmerman, Shane" practice began for everyone. Because it was the first day, they went to different points of the grass to play team building games.

They passed the ball around in a circle, each stating their name and position. There were nineteen kids on that team, eight girls and eleven boys, plus two coaches, Bridget and Bryony. Bridget looked scarily similar to Blake- same hair, both tan, long legs, and similar taste in clothes. The only difference, so far as anyone could tell, was their eyes; Bridget's being green, Blake's being a silvery-blue. She wasn't the only one who noticed. In fact, just about everyone there noticed. Mack had elbowed her in the ribs, and Austin's jaw had almost hit the ground. Some other kids were just starring, although she didn't see.

Blindly, she reached over and shut her new friend's mouth. "You'll catch flies," she muttered in explanation. Mack chuckled softly.

On the other hand, Bridget seemed oblivious. She sent them on a lap around the goal posts while she and Bryony talked strategy. Austin, Mack and Blake took the front of the pack.

"She's your twin, I swear!"

"Maybe you're related?"

"As far as I know, my dad and brother are the only ones native to the US, so I highly doubt we're related."

"Then what's _your_ explanation?" Austin pressed as they rounded the last corner.

Blake followed with a shrug. "I dunno. Maybe... Maybe I'm her clone. If you guys are so interested, why don't _you_ ask her yourself?"

That shut them up about it for the rest of practice.

* * *

Elizandra was sitting on the back porch of her grandparent's home when she once again heard his voice. She had been reading _The Hounds of Baskervilles_ for the third time while gently rocking back and forth on the swing parallel with the house. With a roll of her eyes, she shut the book and walked over to the railing. On the ground ten feet below was, in fact, Achuchi Jayme calling her name.

"How did you know it was me out here?" Her eyebrows lifted and she crossed her arms over her chest. "You haven't been stalking me, have you?"

He grinned and shook his head. "Your sister Valenica was outside. She told me."

"Okay, well, what is it you want, exactly?"

"Are you doing anything right now?"

"I _was_ reading."

"Please, come down here so we don't have to shout," he pleaded, hands pressed together in front of his ribcage.

With a sigh, Eli nodded. She picked up the book again and headed inside. "Well, Holmes, it looks like you'll have to solve this later. Boy-wonder beckons," she muttered as she entered her's and Valencia's bedroom, throwing it carelessly on her bed.

On her way to the downstairs back door, she passed Nevada on the laptop, and Pepillo reading the newspaper. "Babi, Eu estou indo para fora," she said, struggling with her Potruguese.

He looked up from reading for a moment. He solemnly nodded and returned to the news section. Nevada shot her a questioning look. "I'm going out, Nevvy," she translated.

A look of both understanding and amusement crossed the youngster's face, followed by a mischievous grin. "With Achuchi?"

Elizandra rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately."

"Do you want me to come? I'll be quiet, I promise. For protection purposes only."

"Thanks, but I'll yell if I really need you."

"Suit yourself..."

She opened the sliding glass door, stepped out onto the concrete patio, closed the door, and continued towards the boy waiting for her. She gave him a slight smile. His eyes seemed to light up. She suddenly felt the blast of warmer air hit her like a ton of bricks. It was at least 86oF out, and that was hot, even if she was wearing jean shorts that barely covered her butt, and a grey wife beater with no shoes at all.

"You wanted to talk?" she asked, crossing her arms again.

"Yes. I thought I could give you a tour of the town, the way we see it."

"Right now?"

"Yes, now."

"With no shoes?"

"You will not need them. Around here, people do not mind bare feet," he explained. "Will you come, please?"

She shifted her weight from foot to foot, trying to decide what to say. After a considerable pause, she sighed. "Sure."

_Dear Elizandra,_

_I guess I'm kinda crashing band camp, huh? Oh well, I don't care. I can always play guitar if I absolutely have to. But apparently singers are well-appreciated round here; so are drummers. We haven't done much yet, just the cheesy "welcome to camp" crap._

_I have three roommates. Two are twins, one isn't. Kayden and Raven are almost completely identical. Jenna is like their opposite. They're okay people, I guess, the twins being sorta separated from everyone else, Jenna being pretty well-known. I've made some friends, though. James, Jaden, and Ceala. Jaden's a drummer, Ceala's a piano/keyboard/vocalist, and James plays guitar and bass._

_Yes, James is _the guy_. I'll take plenty of pics for you and Marani and Blake. You should see his Mohawk!_

_Peace, love, and Paramore,_

_-Hayley._


End file.
